Senior citizens: Judges told to hurry up with ‘old’ cases

SHC CJ directs judges to process appeals of convicts who older than 60 years.

KARACHI: The appeals of convicts who are older than 60 years must be processed, directed Sindh High Court Chief Justice Mushir Alam for all judges. Their appeals should be heard and decided quickly, said his order passed in an application filed by a 65-year-old convict, who asked the CJ to order a swift trial for him because he had been in prison for the last two years, waiting to be heard.

The CJ summoned details from all judges and found that 16 appeals filed by elderly accused are pending decisions before judges in Karachi, four in Hyderabad and 15 each before the Larkana and Sukkur circuit benches.

The CJ asked judges to ensure regular hearings of their appeals. He directed them to hold at least one hearing every week and dispose of them as quickly as possible.

The Anti-Terrorism Court has 87 appeals while the special jails have a total of 61 appeals.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2011.